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Beryl Organ was born in Bristol in 1928 and soon developed a lifelong love of nature and a fascination for animals and flowers of all kinds, which is obvious from her many books. She has also had a lifelong passion for painting in both oils and watercolour. For many years she ran a modelling agency. In 1972 she decided to try her hand at writing books about nature for children and as a result has had many articles published along the way.. Since then, at her home in Gloucester, she has written several books telling stories about animals and flowers, some in prose, others in verse. After publishing Tiggy’s World and Benjy’s Magic Mantle in 2010, Beryl has now completed a book of verse for children entitled Our Woodland Friends.
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Verse and illustrations by Beryl E Organ
Woodland Friends 215x210mm_Layout 1 23/03/2011 16:30 Page 2
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Woodland Friends 215x210mm_Layout 1 23/03/2011 16:30 Page 3
To Ellie, James, Jack and Holly
My dear great-grandchildren
With all my love
from Grandee2011
Woodland Friends 215x210mm_Layout 1 23/03/2011 16:30 Page 4
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Published by Memoirs Books
Memoirs Books25 Market Place, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, GL7 2NX
www.memoirsbooks.co.uk [email protected]
Copyright ©Beryl Organ February 2011 First published in England, February 2011
Edited by Chris NewtonBook jacket design and layout Ray Lipscombe
ISBN 978-0-9565102-4-2
All rights reserved.No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of Memoirs Books.
Printed in England
Woodland Friends 215x210mm_Layout 1 23/03/2011 16:30 Page 6
The fallow buck has antlers grand
In shady glades for hours he’ll stand
Among the trees in woods so dim
We humans hardly notice him
His favourite foods are all around
Growing lush upon the ground -
Chestnuts, acorns, grass so sweet
Roots and shoots and young green wheat.
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The nimble stoat with golden coat
Comes out to hunt at night
As she stands tall to catch the scent
Small creatures flee in fright
She dances to attract her prey
Then sleeps all through the summer’s day.
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Red squirrel digs into the lawn
Hiding nuts from night till morn
All through winter she’ll sleep fast
When spring arrives, she’ll wake at last
And then, with hunger on her mind
Her hoard of nuts she’ll go and find.
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The lively otter loves to play
Where sparkling rivers make their way
When daytime comes he goes to ground
To dine upon the fish he found
The woodland streams run cold and fast
But now he’s caught his meal at last.
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The water vole lives by the stream
His bankside home is rarely seen
He paddles like a little boat
Then quickly dries his glossy coat.
Don’t let him know that you’re around
He’ll vanish at the slightest sound!
Woodland Friends 215x210mm_Layout 1 23/03/2011 16:30 Page 11
From dark green woods to wide blue skies
Watch the noble buzzard rise
High above the trees he’ll soar
To gaze down on the forest floor
His sharp eyes soon will find the prey
He’ll swoop upon to eat that day.
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This rabbit found a carrot patch
And goodness he is happy
But he will have to hurry up
And make his visit snappy
For if the farmer comes this way
He won’t feel quite so happy!
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The woodland leaves are turning gold
Winter’s on its way
This wily fox hunts all around
For furred or feathered prey
Winter days are grey and cold
And food is getting short
So he must keep on hunting
Till something tasty’s caught.
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Grey squirrel sleeps away the hours
Cosy in his drey
When hunger calls he goes to find
His nuts from yesterday
He finds a tree stump, sits on top
And with his tiny paws
He strips the shell and eats the nut
Without a moment’s pause.
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The bank vole hides away by day
Beneath the woods and hedges
At night he hunts for fresh green shoots
Along the woodland edges
He gnaws the bark from off the trees
Leaves little marks on branches
When Mr Fox is on the prowl
The bank vole takes his chances!
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The woodpigeon’s a handsome bird
With feathers grey and white
His beak and legs are chestnut red
He makes a pretty sight
He coo-coo-coos all summer long
High among the trees
Then takes off with a clap of wings
If one of us he sees.
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The harvest mouse loves cornfields
But the tractor scared him so
He’s made a new home in the reeds
Beside the river’s flow
He plays among the waving stems
Hanging by his tail
And builds a nest above the ground
For safety must prevail.
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Badger leaves her sett at night
And hunts for food while moon is bright
The young ones think it’s all great fun
She shows the cubs just how it’s done
When all are fed it’s time for play
Then off to slumber through the day
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This mother rabbit’s heard a sound
Something rustled on the ground
Her babies hide away in fear
Perhaps the fox is coming near!
She keeps a lookout, ears a-twitch
To warn them hiding in the ditch.
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This roe deer fawn is not long born
He tiptoes out to play
What fun to find his way around,
Enjoy the summer’s day
He knows his mum will soon be back
And with him she will stay.
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Among the woods the ponies trot
Nibbling at the grass
They love to chat about the news
With each new friend they pass
When playtime’s over for the day
They find a place to rest
And settle down to sleep in peace
As the sun sinks in the west.
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Who scurries through the fields and woods
And by the water too?
Whose pointed snout sniffs worms and grubs?
It is of course the shrew!
By pond and stream she bustles on
Her babies follow, one by one.
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The bright brown hare has speed and grace
He’ll match the rest in any race
His legs are lithe and fast and strong
Through field and dell he bounds along
Then lies so still down in the grass
You’ll never spot him as you pass.
Woodland Friends 215x210mm_Layout 1 23/03/2011 16:31 Page 24
Hedgehog needs to build a nest
So she’ll have somewhere safe to rest
Soon her babies will be born
They’ll need to hide from dusk to dawn
So she can leave them safe from sight
While she goes hunting food each night.
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The weasel, tiny and so quick
Is deadlier than she seems
She’ll catch her prey by night or day
By woods or fields or streams
No burrow can be safe from her
No hole can be too small
No mouse or vole is rat is safe
From weasel’s teeth and jaws.
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This fallow doe has heard a sound
Perhaps she’d better go to ground!
Shy and timid, quick to run
To deep green woods away from sun
She waits until the danger’s past
And comes out when it’s safe at last.
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The tawny owl sits in his tree
Waiting out the day
When darkness falls you’ll hear his call
It’s time to hunt his prey
His eyes are keen, his ears are sharp
He hears each vole and shrew
On silent wings he swoops to kill
Too wit, too wit, too woo!
Woodland Friends 215x210mm_Layout 1 23/03/2011 16:31 Page 28
9 780956 510242
ISBN 978-0-9565102-4-2
Published by Memoirs25 Market Place, Cirencester
Gloucestershire GL7 2NX
TEL: 01285 640485www.memoirsbooks.co.uk
memoirs
Beryl Organ was born in Bristol in 1928 and soon developed a lifelong love of nature
and a fascination for animals and flowers of all kinds. She has also had a lifelong
passion for painting in both oils and watercolour. For many years she ran a modelling
agency. In 1972 she decided to try her hand at writing books about nature for children.
Since then, at her home in Gloucester, she has written several books telling stories
about animals and flowers, some in prose, others in verse.
After publishing Tiggy’s World and Benjy’s Magic Mantle in 2010, Beryl has now
completed Tales of Mr Winkle, the story of a garden gnome, and is working on three books of verse for children
entitled Animal Antics, Our Woodland Friends and ABC of Flowers.
Tales of Mr Winkle is about an old garden gnome who watches the comings and goings of his many animal friends
and neighbours from his seat beside the pond. When the winter nights start drawing in Mr Winkle is sad to watch
the squirrels, frogs, hedgehogs and songbirds disappear until next spring, but he has many other visitors to keep
him company, particularly his friend Rudi the Robin – and he is soon joined by some unexpected friends to cheer
him up.
Acknowledgememts: Les for his valued help. Dear daughters, Karen and Janet for their assistance on this and other books. Tiggys world, Benjys Magic Mantle 2010
Photograph courtesy of Mark , Concept Photograhy
© C
oncept Photograhy
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